BOOKS: Castlebar man’s new book is a fascinating military memoir, and more

During a military career spanning more than four decades, Castlebar man Kevin McDonald witnessed the reality of conflict around the world close-up. He has a fascinating story to tell, and in ‘A Life Less Ordinary’ he does just that.
This illuminating memoir – published by Mayo Books Press and due to be launched at next week’s Wild Atlantic Words Festival in Castlebar – brings readers along his incredible, perilous journey from the 1980s to the present day.
McDonald’s early days in the FCA in Mayo were followed by a career with the Irish Defence Forces and his recruitment to its specialist Army Ranger Wing. He served on missions in Lebanon, Israel, Chad, Western Sahara and Syria, and with the EU in Mali. This was followed by subsequent UN roles in the Central African Republic and his current role in the fledging nation of South Sudan.

Gripping account
It was in South Sudan, while in lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic, that McDonald first started writing his book. His story is a vivid eyewitness account of the reality and brutality of war – the horrors visited on innocent civilians, the ever-present danger facing peacekeepers, the killing of friends and colleagues right beside him. It is also a fascinating insight into the geopolitics of Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
He was most frequently stationed in the Middle East on overseas tours, and the region has had an enormous impact on him.
“The Middle East has been a part of my life since I first went there in 1984,” he explains. “I have lived in both Lebanon and Israel, along with serving some time in Syria, so I have a deep understanding and affection for the region.
“The war in 2006 did have an effect on me in a number of ways. I was unfortunately used to being under fire, but it’s a different thing when you can see the city of Tyre, where your wife and kids (aged five and seven) are, coming under naval and air attacks. 
“When Clare and the kids were getting into a lifeboat to take them out to a ship, I rang her on the mobile and said ‘I’ll see you when I see you, God Bless’, which is not a great way to end what was then officially termed as a ‘Family Mission’.”

Diverse passions
McDonald’s life and his career have taught him plenty about humankind.
“Humanity is in short supply in so many places, but it’s amazing how often random acts of kindness can occur and lift your spirits,” he says, but adds a note of warning: “I think the world is currently heading to a darker place where life has a lot less value than at any time in the past. The war in Ukraine plus the endless wars in the Midde East and Africa do not give me hope for an equitable solution any time soon.”
Despite his the demands of his military career, Kevin McDonald somehow found time for two other passions – mountaineering and archeology.
He has scaled some of the world’s most challenging mountain ranges, including the Himalayas and the Alps, and he details his exhilarating experiences of abseiling, rock climbing and mountaineering in Ireland and overseas.
He also completed a degree in archaeology in University College Galway and has put his passion and expertise to good use at home and abroad. He has even made several new discoveries, including two 5,000-year-old megalithic tombs in Co Clare.

Launch
‘A Life Less Ordinary’, by Kevin McDonald, will be launched by Vice Admiral Mark Mellett (Retired), Chief of Staff with Ireland’s Defence Forces from 2015 to 2021, on Thursday, October 10 at 8pm at Bridge St bar, Castlebar, as part of the Wild Atlantic Words literary festival. The memoir is for sale in all good bookshops and available online via mayobooks.ie, from where it can be shipped anywhere in the world.